That sound you hear is not the world ending – it’s liberalism being monstered | Waleed Aly

The unsettling silence that fills the air today is not the world coming to an end; it is the demise of liberalism that echoes loudly. This sentiment resonates deeply amongst many, as it prompts questions about the future of societies like ours. Our online news sources, mobile applications, and even daily news podcasts are filled with varying opinions on the issue, depending on one's political leanings.

The "monsters" that people see can be attributed to multiple sources, including tech billionaires and their artificial intelligence creations, the chaos of social media platforms, and even legacy media outlets that fail to deliver 'the truth'. These perceptions could extend to groups like the manosphere, institutions promoting gender fluidity in education, migrant youth wielding machetes, and refugee extremists in Belfast.

Far-right organizations organizing marches and rallies across Australia and the United Kingdom also contribute to this growing unease. It is almost guaranteed that these sentiments will be present in discussions surrounding Hamas, Israel, and local advocates squabbling over the Middle East. Some may also find these monsters in Russia, but this assumption cannot be made with certainty.

The paragraph that elicits the strongest reaction from readers is likely the one that exposes the deep disquiet beneath the surface. However, instead of focusing on the polarization aspect, it is essential to delve into the underlying crisis that is causing this widespread fear.